Giancarlo Stanton smashed a solo home run in the bottom of the seventh inning in Game 1 of the American League Championship Series to punctuate a New York Yankees win over the Cleveland Guardians. The Yankees won the game 5-2 in the Bronx with a lot of expected and unexpected contributions. The pitching was solid. The hitting was sufficient. And the result was positive for New York. Stanton and Juan Soto highlighted the Yankees’ hitting in the win.
Juan Soto and Giancarlo Stanton, Both Homer
In the third inning, Juan Soto hit a solo HR to start Yankees scoring. Two more runs crossed the plate in the third with walks by Aaron Judge, a walk by Stanton, a walk by Anthony Volpe, and then two wild pitches that scored both Judge and Stanton. The Yankees took a 3-0 lead in the third and never looked back.
Run four came on a Judge sacrifice fly in the fourth to score Gleyber Torres, who had walked to lead off the inning. For the first time in the post-season, Judge drove in a run, if only on a sac fly.
The fifth and final Yankees run came in the seventh when Stanton bombed a 439-foot mammoth home run to left center. He has seven hits in the post-season, including two HRs, and has essentially put the Yankees on his back. Given that the playoffs often feature an unexpected hitter, Stanton hitting and carrying the Yanks is not that surprising.
Yankees’ Chaotic 8th Inning
The Guardian’s half of the eighth inning was bizarre. Punctuated by an interference call and an error by the Yankees, Cleveland picked up a run to make the game seem more tense than it eventually ended up. At the bottom of the inning, New York led Cleveland 5-2. By no means did the game feel put away. Bullpens have dominated the past few games in MLB, but anything can happen in October.
The game would end with that margin. Luke Weaver completed his 1.2-innings save by striking out the side after walking the lead-off hitter. Josh Naylor, Daniel Schneemann, and Austin Hedges all stuck out swinging. Weaver secured the save with no hits allowed and four Ks in the six hitters he faced while walking just one.
Carlos Rendon Was Lights Out
Starting pitcher Carlos Rendon set the tone early. The Yankees left-hander struck out nine, walked no one, and allowed just one run on three hits. The box score doesn’t reflect the night as Guardian hitters made Rendon work, as he threw 93 pitches, of which 63 were strikes. However, results matter more than cosmetics.
If Gerrit Cole can match Rendon’s performance in Game 2, the Yankees should be in good shape. Giancarlo Stanton may prove to be the deciding factor.
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